


A Blurred Reflection

by batsy_rocks



Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU, Justice League - All Media Types, Superman - All Media Types
Genre: Abduction, Confrontations, Dimension Travel, Doppelganger, Drama, Emotional Constipation, Emotional Hurt, Evil Superman, Feels, Gen, Gen or Pre-Slash, Grief/Mourning, Heavy Angst, Hurt Bruce Wayne, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Minor Injuries, Mirror Universe, Other World!Superman Feels, Possessive Behavior, Possible Mental Instability, Protective Clark Kent, Shock, Superman meets Superman, Tragedy, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, but not really evil, more like grief-stricken and a bit irrational Superman
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-08
Updated: 2017-11-30
Packaged: 2018-01-14 15:22:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1271392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/batsy_rocks/pseuds/batsy_rocks
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"He's only human and you're <i>Superman.</i> You're supposed to be there to protect him! To save him!"</p><p>Clark and Bruce travel to an alternate dimension. Bruce is missing and Clark meets Superman.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Missing

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Justice League or any of its characters. Really, I don't.

Clark descended slowly, keeping his feet from touching the ground as he hovered over the man standing on top of the bridge. It was disturbing, seeing another man wearing his suit, crest, and face. It took a second for the words to leave his mouth, but when they did his tone was hard and commanding. Bruce would have been proud.

"Where is he?"

Superman lifted his head in a slow, deliberate move, deep blue eyes meeting Clark's. "Safe."

"Safe!? You kidnapped him! You-"

"I _removed_ him from a dangerous situation. He was hurt and about to be shot while you were busy playing the hero!"

Clark clenched his fists, struggling not to show even the smallest sign of guilt.

Bruce and he still had been trying to figure out where they had been transported when they were attacked by ... odd-shaped being. With just a look, they split; Bruce fighting on the ground while he attacked from the sky. He was keeping an eye on Bruce, like he always did, when two of the beings attacked him together, followed by three more. It had been enough to throw him to the ground, and by the time he had neutralized them and looked around, Bruce wasn't there anymore.

It had taken him precious minutes to deal with the beings before he was able to look for Bruce.

"Where is he?" Clark growled.

Superman glared; eyes dark with fury and a glimpse of crimson flashing in them. "I'm not going to let _you_ take him. I'm not going to let your carelessness get him killed!"

Clark flinched. "I didn't-"

"He's only human and you're _Superman._ You're supposed to be there to protect him! To save him!"

Superman's feet left the ground as he floated to look at Clark straight in the eye, teeth bared in a snarl as he moved forward, his face mere inches from Clark's. "I'm not going to let you kill him."

"Like your Batman," Clark whispered after a moment of silence, eyes wide as the shocking realization slowly creep into his mind.

 _"Yes,"_ Superman hissed, moving slightly away from Clark. His deep voice sent shivers down Clark's spine. He hadn't been expecting such a short, plain answer. There was so much raw emotion buried in that single word.

"Bruce was- he was magnificent. Deathly. Perfect." The hardness around Superman's eyes and mouth softened just barely as he lost himself in the memories, staring blankly ahead. "He had ... this way of acting, of handling himself that made you believe he was another super-powered God among the rest. Powerful. Invincible.

"At least until the rush of the battle passed and you saw the wounds and broken bones. The blood. And he just- brushed it all off like it didn't matter. As if his body hadn't just been torn apart."

Superman paused, fixing his cold, hard gaze on Clark's face again. "And by the time the next battle came, you forgot again. Until you saw his lifeless body sprawled in the middle of a wrecked street in a pool of his own blood, and you were remembered one final time he was only human. Vulnerable. Fragile. Breakable."

"You need to tell me where he is," Clark demanded after a moment of thick silence, his voice slightly hoarse. He forced himself not to dwell on Superman's words too much. Not now. No matter how much he wanted to drop to his knees and bow his head in shame. He needed to get Bruce back. Then, and only then he could drown in guilt and shame.

Superman met his eyes for a moment before shaking his head, something akin to pity flashing in his eyes. "You don't understand. You can't. But I do, and I'm going to do _anything_ to keep him safe."

"How are you going to keep him safe?"

"I'm going to do what you can't. I'm going to force him to see he can't keep foolishly risking his life fighting a losing battle." Superman lifted his chin almost defiantly, hard eyes looking into Clark's. "I will keep him in a safe place where nothing can hurt him ever again."

"Force him? Keep him? You're not talking about keeping him safe, you're talking about taking away his will and control him. Keep him locked somewhere as nothing more than a possession or a prize," It was Clark who was growling and glaring now, hands curled into fists at his sides. "So you're right, I can't do that. For the same reason you didn't do it to this world's Bruce. Because that's how he is. Because fight bad guys and save lives is more than just a choice for him. Because taking that away from him would destroy him."

"Can't you see being Batman would end up destroying him anyway!"

"I know," Clark admitted softly. It was something he had been afraid of almost from the moment he met Bruce. "But I also know I would never forgive myself if I took that choice from him, and neither would he."

Clark caught a flash of fragile sanity in his double's eyes, just for a second, before the angry hard gaze came back full force, burying any glimpse of it.

"I don't know why I'm wasting my time with you," He spat. "I don't care what you say, I'm not going to let you take him."

"I'm not asking for your permission," Clark growled before charging at the other man, fist connecting with invulnerable flesh and sending his double to crash on the ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it. What do you think? The original idea for this fic was Bruce and Clark being transported to an alternate universe where that world's Superman kidnapped and injured Bruce, but somewhere along the way it turned into this. I like how this came out so that's why I'm posting it instead of start again and go along with my original idea.
> 
> I'm considering writing a second chapter where Clark finds and 'rescue' Bruce, so let me know if you would be interested in reading it!
> 
> This is my very first time writing for this fandom (though not the characters. I've written for Young Justice), so any comment or criticism would be very much appreciated. I'm also not a native speaker, so go ahead and point out any mistakes you find!


	2. Found

Clark took to the sky, leaving behind the crystalline structure hidden among the mesmerizing whiteness of the snow in the middle of the Arctic.

It was beautiful. Massive and majestic. Glittering. It was an exact replica of his own Fortress of Solitude back home- except it wasn't. Not really. There was something about the place that made it seem, _feel,_ different. Empty and desolate. Colder somehow.

And there was no sign of Bruce there. No sign he had been there at all.

He defeated this world's Superman, though it hadn't been easy. It never was when he confronted someone as strong and powerful as him. It was clear from the beginning Superman wasn't going to tell him where was Bruce, so he didn't bother asking.

He thought he was protecting him, on his own delirious, twisted way, so Clark was going to have to find him on his own.

His double was now locked up in a room on the Fortress, but Clark had no doubt he would be out of there as soon as he regained conscience. He did his best to program the Fortress to keep him there, but well. He could understand the difficulty of maintaining not only a Kryptonian but one that looked exactly like him imprisoned. Besides, it was his Fortress, not Clark’s.

Clark shook his head. It didn't matter. He just needed to find Bruce and then they would take care of Superman together if they had to. Or Bruce would, with the Kryptonite ring he was sure the other man was carrying in his utility belt.

It took him a few minutes of flying to catch the first glimpse of Gotham's dark and cloudy sky. It was yet another exact replica, this time of Bruce's beloved city.

Only a few seconds later the imposing towers of Wayne Manor materialized on the horizon. Clark halted to a stop in midair before choosing to descend slowly to land on one of the balconies on the second floor rather than go directly to the cave. He didn't want to take the risk of some of Batman's countermeasures in the Batcave being still in place.

He forced the large windows open easily and flew in. Hovering in the middle of the room, Clark took a moment to scan the Manor with his x-ray vision, confirming his initial suspicion. The Manor was empty, the furniture in most rooms covered with white sheets to keep the dust away.

Clark closed his eyes, taking a moment to remind himself this wasn't their world and this wasn't really Bruce's home. It didn't help much, just like it hadn't when he was faced with the painful revelation of Bruce's death. The death of _this world's Bruce._

The Kryptonian flew downstairs to the grandfather clock that would allow him access to the cave, focusing on finding Bruce which was the important thing right now.

The clock swung open silently and he descended into the cave.

The first thing that caught Clark's attention was the empty chair before the abandoned, dark bank of monitors. The Batcomputer, as Dick named it, and how Clark called it too, just to see the tiny flicker of annoyance in Bruce's expression every time. He tried to recall if there had been a time where every screen was turned off and was unable to. There was always at least one switched on with something or another running, even if Bruce wasn't anywhere near it.

He pulled his attention away to look around the cave, his gaze almost immediately drawn to the glass case displaying the Batsuit. He moved toward it without thinking.

Clark's eyes took in the dark suit and empty cowl behind the glass as he hovered before it. At first sight, it was nothing more than a replica of Bruce's suit, but a closer look revealed some small differences. A couple of clasps placed in parts where Bruce’s suit didn’t have them and some additional modifications to increase the suit’s protection. Almost without thinking he took notice of every difference he saw, intending to mentioning them to Bruce when they went back home. Not if- _when._

Eyes fixed in the suit, he reached out to touch the cold, flat surface. His fingers stopped mere millimeters from touching the case when he heard it: the clear, steady rhythm of a heartbeat, here in the cave.

It wasn't just any heartbeat. It was Bruce's. It had been there the whole time just waiting to be heard. With his own heart pounding against his chest, Clark took off, following the sound like a beacon.

He wasn't able to differentiate between every heartbeat in the world. There were too many and the difference between each was so slim that it was impossible, but he had learned to recognize the heartbeat of a handful of  people. His Ma and Pa, Lois, Perry, Jimmy. The nice old lady that lived a few doors down in his apartment building that chatted him up amicably every time he saw him. And even Lex Luthor, after so many times needing to locate the business man quickly. Of course, there were also the founders of the League, Bruce among them.

Listening for Bruce's heartbeat after a battle or news of trouble in Gotham had somewhere along the way become a habit. Something he did without a conscious thought anymore. He was sure Bruce would be annoyed if he knew, but then again, very little went past the Bat, so it was likely he already knew and simply let it slide.

Clark flew into a part of the cave he had never seen before, the darkness swallowing him up as he moved far enough from the main area, leaving any light behind. It was a good thing he could see in the dark, he thought as he moved further ahead. He came to a stop in front of a lead-lined door set in the rock wall.

The lock of the door was melted down -probably with a shot of heat vision- and the sight made Clark clench his jaw. It made perfect sense, he thought coldly, to get rid of a lock Batman could easily pick, even without his tools, and leave him trapped.

He pulled the door open with more force than was needed, blinking at the sudden brightness that attacked his eyes. The electrical system of the cave reached this room too, apparently.

Clark stood at the threshold, sharp eyes immediately drawn to the large four-poster bed placed almost in the middle of the room. The bed where Bruce was lying, unconscious, his breath slow and steady.

An unconscious Bruce wearing nothing but his underwear, arms and legs tied to the bedposts and leaving him in a very vulnerable position. Clark flew slowly into the room, hands balled into fists at his sides.

_"... Made you believe he was another super-powered God among the rest. Powerful. Invincible. At least until the rush of the battle was over and you saw the wounds and broken bones. The blood."_

Clark stopped short of reaching the bed, blue eyes wandering over Bruce’s damaged body. He took in the endless pattern of purple and yellow bruises that always adorned the other man’s body, every bruise in different stages of healing, but that would be replaced by new ones in no time.

Then there was the scarred, puckered skin that showed where the flesh had been stitched back together; some barely a few inches long and others as big as the one that when from his elbow to the palm of his hand. X-ray vision showed him the metallic plates and pins under his skin, as well as all the mended bones, some like his fingers, ribs, nose, and several bones in his arms that had been broken so many times that the bone hadn't regenerated completely. They were fully healed, but he could see a small, almost millimetric degeneration in the bone structure that wouldn't ever go away.

He also saw a fresh white piece of gauze taped to the lower left side of Bruce’s abdomen, covering a recent, almost four inches long cut.

Clark swallowed hard, looking down at the broken body of the bravest, most stubborn man he had ever met. And then, before he could understand what was happening, his back was hitting the wall behind him, his good reflexes the only thing stopping him from tumbling to the floor.

It happened in a matter of seconds. One moment Bruce was lying motionless on the bed, restrained and vulnerable, and the next he was free of his binding (which obviously had been loosened previously) and charging at him. The strength of the attack and surprise of it giving Bruce the opportunity to make a run for the door before Clark recovered enough to talk.

“Wait! B, it’s me.”

Bruce stopped a couple of feet outside the door, every muscle in his body tense as he turned around. Clark could see he was ready to fight or flight at the slightest provocation, even as his narrowed blue eyes assessed him.

Clark raised his hands up in surrender, the movement deliberately slow, so as not to startle him. “We were fighting an army of robots with Wonder Woman and Flash when a beam was shot and I flew to where you were standing to try to get you out of the way.”

The look on Bruce's face told him what the other man thought of his rescue attempt. And considering their current situation, Clark had to agree with him.

“You took your time getting here.”

Clark rolled his eyes, moving closer. “I’m glad to see you too.”

“I suppose you’ve met your double already?” The light from the open door lighted the way as Bruce started walking away from the room without waiting for an answer.

“Yes,” Clark answered simply, following Bruce as he started moving in the direction Clark had come from. “Are you okay?”

“Fine. Where’s he?”

“I left him locked up in the Fortress before coming to look for you,” Clark saw the glance Bruce sent his way. “I didn’t have a lot of time, alright? And unless you think I should have dragged him with me while I looked for you, leave him in the Fortress was the best idea I had. I don’t know if you were alright so I had to move quickly.”

Bruce only grunted in reply, and they walked in silence for a long moment after that.

Clark hesitated. “Did he … did he, you know, hurt you?”

Brow furrowed, Bruce turned his head to look at Clark. They were reaching the main area of the cave and the very faint beam of light barely visible ahead of them was enough to let him see the unguarded, worried expression on Clark's face.

“He didn’t. He may be acting irrationally, but he's still Superman.”

Bruce heard Clark suck in a breath. He realized too late why that had been the wrong thing to say. He watched him out of the corner of his eye but didn't say anything else, and neither did Clark.

“Then why are you, you know, uh, like that?” Clark asked after a moment, making a vague gesture. He could feel his cheeks heat up as he kept his eyes firmly on Bruce's face.

For as long as he had known the other man, Bruce had never been self-conscious about his body. Batman's protective suit, Bruce Wayne's stylish clothes or even the most ridiculous of his disguises. Bruce wore it all with the same grace and poise, but somehow, watching a half-naked Bruce walk around the darkened place after being abducted and locked up and doing so as if it were the most natural thing in the world was just wrong.

“He took off my suit to treat to my injuries,” Bruce barely refrained from rolling his eyes, watching as Clark shot him a doubtful look. “I wasn’t exactly forthcoming, so he took it off to make sure I wasn’t hiding any injuries.”

They didn't stop walking once they left the darkness behind. Clark wasn't sure if Bruce was heading to a specific place in the cave, but didn't question him. He floated along with him, his feet only a couple of inches above the ground.

“I don’t suppose you saw my suit somewhere when you came in,”

Clark didn't answer, doing a quick sweep of the area with his x-ray vision. "It's not here."

Bruce cursed under his breath, resisting the urge to lift a hand to massage his temple. He could already feel a headache coming. Damn it! He hated dimension travel. "What about any other suits?"

"There's nothing. Just the suit in the memori- uh, the glass case."

"Yes. I saw it when he flew me in." Bruce grimaced, long strides covering the distance in seconds. He stood motionless before the glass case for a second, maybe two, before he started to work it open.

That small hesitation was enough to let Clark know he didn't want to do it. He didn't want to put on that suit. He watched as Bruce's fingers brushed over one of the hidden buckles on the right shoulder (one of the several buckles Bruce's suit didn't have).

"I could try to look for your suit," Clark offered softly, watching Bruce study the suit before pulling it out.

Bruce's only answer to that was a snort, and it wasn't until he had put on the lower part of the suit and was starting on the rest that he spoke again, rolling his eyes at Clark.

"You can stop looking at me like I'm going to burst into tears any second now. The only reason I didn't want to use _this,"_   He jabbed a finger at the chest plates he had just put on. "Is Superman."

Clark said nothing to that.

"It's obvious he made this memorial, or whatever it is supposed to be," Bruce said, waving a hand in the direction of the now empty glass case. "How do you think he's going to react when he realizes we didn't only 'profane' it, but that we also took the suit and I'm using it?"

Clark didn't have anything to say to that. With what he saw of Superman so far, he was sure Bruce's prediction was spot on.

As soon as the boots were secured on his feet and with the cowl on his hand, Bruce moved fast, reaching the dark bank of monitors and sitting in the empty chair before them without hesitation.

Brow furrowed, Clark came to stand at Bruce's side, watching the screens come to live with just a couple of keystrokes from Bruce's gauntleted fingers.

"Uh, B?"

"We need information," He replied briskly. "We need to know if there's a Justice League here, and we need to know the type of relationship Superman has with them to know if ask for their assistance to return home it's an option. We can't rule out that their reaction might be similar to Superman's."

It wasn't long before the screens were filled with news articles, videos, photos, and files. He saw a photo of Diana in one of the files, and one of Flash in a newspaper article.

Everything faded away when he caught sight of a video in one of the screens on the far right. The quality was poor (probably taken with a cell phone). It was the middle of a battle, he could tell. The camera was pointing up to the sky, taking on Superman shooting beams of heat vision against one of the biggest creatures they were fighting. There was a final, loud pounding sound then, followed by screams as the camera shakily panned away.

In the middle of the smoke, dust, and rubble lay a still, dark figure on the ground. Clark wasn't sure if he was imagining the red tint around the body. He waited. One, two, three beats. Waited for the dark figure to move. Waited for a red and blue blur to descend beside the motionless body.

Neither happened. The screen went dark before the video started again, with Superman flying in the bright blue sky again.

"The Justice League doesn't exist."

Clark's attention was snapped back to the present by Bruce's voice just seconds before the screen came to rest on the dark figure again for the fourth time.

He furrowed his brow as the words registered. "What? You mean it hasn't been formed yet?"

"No. I mean it doesn't exist. Not anymore."

Clark moved closer, his frown deepening with every word he read. Two years and five months since the League had been officially dissolved. Almost four since Batman's death.

"This- this can't be right. Where's Diana? And J'onn? Where's- where's everyone else?"

"Diana and Shayera returned to Themyscira and Thanagar respectively, though by the looks of it both have made appearances from time to time. J'onn is a shapeshifter, so it's hard to say where he is. As for the rest, most of them are still out on the streets working. There have been partnerships between them," With a keystroke, a newspaper article showing Flash and Green Arrow together showed up on the screen. "But for the most part, they seem to stay in their own cities."

Clark stood there, heart hammering in his chest as his eyes took in the nightmare before him. How could the Justice League be just gone? It made no sense. Find a Justice League different from his own would have been strange, but not impossible. And even if the concept of a League without Batman was simply wrong, he would have understood if the Justice League was yet to be formed. But this ... this he couldn't understand.

The prolonged silence that followed made Bruce turn his head slightly, lifting his eyes to look at Clark. He caught the lost expression on his face, the slightly furrowed brow as he tried to make sense of what was happening. Bruce couldn't blame him.

Clark's head snapped up, his x-ray vision confirming what his hearing had picked up.

"He's here."

Clark watched Bruce put on the cowl, and then followed him as they moved away from the bank of monitors. They came to a stop in an empty area of the cave just as Superman flew in, descending slowly to stand in front of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really sorry it took me so long to update this chapter. Real life got a bit in the way and then I struggled a bit in a few parts. But well, this chapter is a lot longer than I anticipated, so I hope you're still interested in this. And also, thank you so much everyone for the wonderful comments! They mean a lot to me!
> 
> Anyway, I probably should have mentioned before that even if I keep going with this fic, there wouldn't be really technical or detailed answers about things like how they got there and stuff like that. This was mostly about Bruce and Clark interaction, and their reactions visiting a world where Batman is dead. 
> 
> Also, for those reading about the League's disintegration and rolling their eyes being like: "Yeah, right. Batman is the best ever and so the League can't work without him" I assure you that's not my take on it, and would be explained further in the next chapter. I love Batman, and I think he's a very important part of the League, I just don't think is fair or realistic thinking that the League will fall apart without him. There's only one chapter left, which I hope will be posted sooner than this one.


	3. Confrontation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is dedicated to the people patiently waiting for it, and especially to those who commented or showed interest in the story, even when it had been so long without an update. Thank you so much, and I'm deeply sorry for the long, long wait.

Clark stood still, all senses on alert as he saw Superman appear. His double's eyes blazed crimson as they zeroed in on Bruce right away, red cape billowing behind him as he descended slowly, not even sparing a glance in Clark's direction.

He didn't give much thought to the way humans saw at him, at least not anymore. He knew that no matter his good intentions, his powers were a good enough reason for people to be afraid or, at least intimidated by him. It was something Bruce wouldn't ever let him forget, and now, watching the other Superman descend from the sky, all power and strength laced dangerously together and looking like an avenging god ready to take on anyone who stood in his way, Clark could understand it a lot better.

Without looking away from the imposing figure, Clark shifted slightly to stand between his friend and his double, receiving a low growl from Bruce in protest. And just like that, the red tint in Superman's eyes was gone, and the harsh lines around his mouth and eyes relaxed. Clark blinked at the sudden change.

"I should have known you wouldn't stay locked up for long," Superman said, tone sounding exasperated and fond.

"You should have," Bruce growled. And it was Batman's low growl, regardless of the fact the other two men in the cave knew who he was behind the mask. Clark didn't miss the stiffness of his double's shoulders at the reply, and could even feel bad for him because it was yet another harsh and cold reminder that in spite of the appearances, this was not the man he knew. The man he fought countless battles with, side by side. The man he called his friend.

Superman's face hardened one more time, but he didn't look away from Bruce. The Bat held his gaze, muscles tense under the dark suit.

It was uneasy, the way Superman changed moods at the smallest and most random provocations, but Clark couldn't find it in himself to blame him. He couldn't even begin to imagine how confusing it must be to have someone you watched die _alive_ and well before you, even if you knew it wasn't the same person.

Still, Clark cared more about returning home with Bruce than worry too much about this Superman and his pain and grief, no matter how much he empathized.

"It's over. You need to let us go now," He called, drawing his double's attention to him for the first time since he entered the cave. He didn't look away under the weight of Superman's glare, even as he towered over them.

"Nobody is stopping you. You can leave right now, I don't care."

Clark shook his head, fists clenched at his sides as he looked up at him. "I'm not leaving without him."

"That's too bad because he isn't going anywhere," Superman sneered.

"I'm not asking for your permission," Bruce growled in reply, breaking the glaring contest between both Supermen and making them turn to him.

"That's good because I'm not going to give it to you," Superman replied with narrowed eyes. "You have proven time and time again your inability to stay out of harm's way, so I will take matters into my own hands and I will keep you alive. At any cost."

The gauntlets covering Bruce's hands creaked slightly as he curled them into fists. How dare he! "I can take care of myself. I don't need you or anyone else to look after me."

"I disagree. And the tombstone outside with your name on it only proves I'm right."

"Enough!" Clark shouted. He swallowed hard before turning to address his double. "I know you want to protect him. I know you only want him to be safe and that's why you're doing this, but we can't stay here. Bruce can't stay here," Clark stressed since it was clear Superman couldn't care less about him. "You have to know how sensitive the matter of dimensional travel is. There could be serious consequences for both our universes if we altered the space-time continuum.

"We also have families that expect us back."

Bruce watched Superman with eyes narrowed behind the lenses of the cowl. The growing uncertainty in the turquoise eyes made him believe, just for a second that Superman would understand and do the right thing. But that would have been too easy.

"No. I'm not going to let you take him."

Clark glared back at his double, but before he could say anything Bruce spoke again, deep voice solemn.

"Do you remember the first time you and Batman met? The moment you found out who was the man behind the mask?"

Superman watched him with furrowed brows. "Of course I remember! What does that-?"

"I don't," Bruce replied, not unkindly. "I don't remember any of it because it didn't happen to me. That was not _my_ life. The man you met, the man you knew is gone now and he's not coming back.

"I'm not him and I wouldn't become him."

A myriad of emotions flashed across Superman's face while Bruce spoke, gone before Clark could identify them, but the anger flared hot and dark. "How dare you!" He snarled. "I know you aren't him, that's not what this is about! I'm not trying to replace him! I'm trying to keep you _safe,_ damn it!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Clark saw the tense clench of Bruce's jaw and tight fists. In that second, the Kryptonian knew whatever he was about to say wasn't going to be pretty, but he didn't even attempt to stop him.

"Stop acting like a self-centered child," Bruce growled sharply. "You have no right to dictate what I can or can't do. I'm old enough to take my own decisions, and I have. I don't need nor want your protection.

"I'm sorry he's dead. I'm sorry you're alone now, but I'm not staying here just to make you feel better."

Silence settled in the cave once Bruce put an end to his tirade. Clark didn't dare move as Bruce kept glaring openly at Superman while his double stared back, dark eyes fixed on Bruce's face hidden behind the cowl.

"Let's go, Clark."

The words snapped Superman back to the present and before they could move, he was hovering only a foot away from where they stood, blocking their path. His eyes were flaring an even darker shade of red this time and his mouth was twisted into a snarl.

"No, you're not," Superman said with deadly calm. "I'm sure you already noticed there's something missing from the belt you took."

Bruce clenched his jaw. He reached for the special compartment for the Kryptonite in the belt after reading about the League's separation, only to find it empty. Superman arrived before he could say anything to Clark.

"You can keep it. We don't need it."

Clark saw the second Superman started to raise his hand -to strike or grab Bruce, he had no idea- but he acted before he could do either. Using his double's distraction he lunged forward, sending him crashing into the wall. Superman recovered quickly, responding with a punch that sent Clark reeling back.

Bruce wasted no time disappearing as the battle started, not wanting to risk being caught in the middle of a shot of heat vision or ice breath. He was under no illusion to believe the two Kryptonians couldn't see him, but he wasn't trying to hide anyway, much less stay out of the fight. Clark was going to need help if he kept fighting like that.

There was another resounding crash as Clark was thrown at the floor, leaving a small crater.

From where he was now perched on the cave's rafters, Bruce prepared to start throwing batarangs and smoke pellets from the belt. Whatever he did would be nothing more than a distraction, but it was better than nothing. He was trusting Clark to stop his double from attacking him directly, even if he was also changing positions after throwing something.

With Clark down there, he had to be careful and time his attacks just right to hit the correct Superman.

Shards of glass went flying all around after Clark was thrown against the lab area in the cave, the microscope that had been on the work table dropping with a loud thud only a couple of feet away from his head. He rolled out of the way and the shot of heat vision hit the ground instead. He got up and countered the attack with one of his own only to see an explosive batarang hitting Superman's back a second later.

Superman was glaring upward now to where Bruce was hiding, so Clark hit his double again, effectively reclaiming the Kryptonian's attention back and getting punched in the gut.

With a batarang held between his fingers, Bruce watched the wreckage below him. As he hit his target, he couldn't help but feel relieved this wasn't actually his cave, as selfish and ill-timed as the thought was.

Superman was fighting sloppy; letting anger direct his movements instead of fighting with purpose. He was lashing out blindly, which was making only a handful of his attacks connect with his opponent. Between that and Bruce's distractions, Clark should have no problem to subdue him fairly quickly, at least if he weren't holding back.

They were scuffling on the ground when Clark managed to pin Superman with minimal damage, struggling to keep the thrashing man down without using his full strength.

"Stop," Clark whispered. "I don't want to hurt you."

"Shut up and fight!" Superman snarled before head-butting Clark with enough force to daze him momentarily, giving his double time to free himself. He was breathing heavily, more so than Clark himself, but he wasn't going to give up, Clark knew that.

Bruce saw the moment Clark stopped pulling his punches; he still wasn't fighting at one hundred percent, but he was attacking now instead of mostly deflecting and blocking attacks. Even so, he was confident they could take care of Superman without much trouble now. Bruce held a pellet between his thumb and index finger, watching and waiting.

It didn't take much longer for Clark to get the upper hand, but that didn't mean the fight was over. Superman kept fighting with all his might while Clark adjusted his hold to keep him on the ground.

Even after he saw Clark pin him down for more than a couple of seconds, Bruce didn't move. He waited. Waited until Clark's breath was even. Until his grip stopped shaking and Superman stopped actively struggling in his hold. Only then he moved, leaving both Supermen behind.

Clark drew in a breath, tightening his grip slightly when he heard Bruce move away.

"You're a _fool,"_ The man on the floor whispered, a trickle of blood streaming down from the corner of his mouth and pure hate in his turquoise eyes. "You're a damned fool."

"I'm sorry for doing this but you left us no choice."

"You don't understand, but you will. You will understand and you will regret doing this. _Every single day."_

Clark said nothing.

"You will regret it when you have to pick up his broken body from the concrete and your hands are soaked in his blood. When they have to pry his lifeless body from your arms, and you have to stand aside as they lower his body to the ground." Superman swallowed before continuing in a low, thick voice. "You will regret it every time you search for a heartbeat that is not there anymore."

The tremors that started running over his body shortly after Superman began speaking were worse now, and he was even having trouble breathing. Feeling physically sick, weak, Clark drew back from where he had been pinning his double, sitting on the floor as he tried to fight nausea. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Superman. He was still lying on the floor, curling up on himself, a grimace of pain on his face.

It- it made no sense.

There was a flash of black, and when Clark blinked again Superman was lying unconscious on the ground and Bruce was standing at his side. Still lightheaded, he caught a flash of green on Bruce's closed fist before the hand moved to the belt around his waist. The gloved palm was open when it came back to view.

The pain was already ebbing away with the Kryptonite safely shielded in the lead-lined compartment of the utility belt, but his powers were going to need some time to return. Clark shook his head, trying to focus.

He wet his lips. "I thought he had the Kryptonite."

"You didn't think the Kryptonite in the belt is the only one I own, did you," Bruce replied.

Clark watched him without a word. Maybe he should be angry to find out Bruce had more Kryptonite in his power than the Kryptonite ring he gave him, but he wasn't. Every piece of the green rock that was in Bruce's hands was Kryptonite that wouldn't end in the hands of criminals. Besides, he was glad to know Bruce had the means to protect himself and others if he ever needed it.

"We need to get to work," Bruce said, drawing his attention back as the billionaire held out a hand to help him up.

He swallowed, and with one last look at Superman, Clark took it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. You would not believe how damn sorry I'm for taking years to post this chapter. As some of you may already know, I had some troubles back then and lost my daft of this chapter. I got so mad that I stayed away from writing, and even longer from this story. Once I got past my tantrum, I discovered it wasn't as easy as I thought to go back to this, and I was getting other ideas as well, so I decided to give it time and come back to this fic later. It obviously took me a lot longer than I would have imagined and for that, I apologize.
> 
> I'd like to think it ended up better than my lost first draft, but that may just be wishful thinking on my part. All this time as well as writing this has inspired yet another chapter, contrary to what I had planned for making this a three-shot. I haven't started working on it since I'm posting this chapter as soon as it was written, but I will be working on it.


	4. Encounter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter didn't go the way I planned. At all. It's because of that that this fic will be expanded one more time. The good news is that I waited until I had a good chunk of chapter five and a bit of chapter six written before posting this, so I can promise you wouldn't have to wait so long for an update.
> 
> I'm so, so, sorry for making you wait so long one more time. I hope someone is still interested in this fic.

Clark kept his eyes fixed on the bright lights above him, watching and waiting, and trying very hard to keep his mind blank. It was harder now that the pain wasn't clouding his senses.

After a small argument, he agreed to spend fifteen minutes under a couple of sun lamps in the med bay of the cave to get rid of the lingering effects of the Kryptonite and start the healing process, even if that wasn't going to be enough time to regain his powers.

He could speed up his recovery by getting out of the dark cave and into the sunlight -like Bruce exasperatedly pointed out - but with his powers gone that would mean walk out of here and leave Bruce alone for a while, and even if Superman was under control now he wasn't comfortable with that.

As soon as the fifteen minutes were up Clark pushed the lamps aside and got up from the cot. He took a moment to stretch his muscles as soon as he was back on his feet, testing how much he recovered.

The Kryptonian was cleaning the dried blood from his face with a damp cloth as he walked back to the main area of the cave where Bruce was already busy working in the Batcomputer. Clark noticed he had already taken off the cowl and placed it aside.

Bruce reached for a stool hidden under the large desk without looking away from the screen and pushed it his way. Clark sat down with a sigh, his mind clear enough to pay attention to the information displayed there.

They worked together for a few minutes before the sharp noise of an alarm resounded through the cave as a message popped up on the screen.

Bruce was on his feet in one instant and Clark followed just a quickly. Maybe he should have gone outside for some sunlight after all- except that would have left Bruce here all alone to deal with whatever this was. He opened his mouth to speak as the alarm was silenced, but a gust of wind hit them less than a second later as someone else appeared in the cave.

"Hey, Supes! What's up with the-" The red-clad hero trailed off, eyes widening behind his mask as he caught sight of them. A second later there was nothing but a red blur.

Clark blinked, and when the Flash was visible again he was even closer, arms wrapped tightly around a stock-still Bruce as the speeder started speaking, tongue running as fast as his feet.

"Oh God, Bats! I can't believe it's you! You're back! What happened? How are you? Are you okay? What happened? How did you come back? Was it Supes?" Before either could tell him the truth, the speeder spoke again. "Doesn't matter I missed you so, so much, Bats! Don't you ever go away again! _Please."_

He stopped speaking and released a shaky, breathless happy laugh that resounded around the cave. It made Clark's stomach clench. Flash was crying, he had no doubt about that even if he couldn't see his eyes. The quivering of his voice, thick with emotions told him that. Rao, he was so happy thinking his Batman was back.

Arms full of Flash, Bruce turned to Clark with an expression that anyone else would think looked perfectly calm, but the Kryptonian noticed the slightly panicked flicker in his eyes.

"I'm not him," Bruce said finally, using his own voice rather than Batman's growl.

The words were enough to make Flash let go of him. The speeder took a step away, pushing his mask back and looking at him with wet, confused green eyes.

Clark cleared his throat before explaining further. "We were transported here from another dimension."

There was silence for a beat as Barry's eyes were drawn back to the man wearing the suit of his dead friend. Bruce forced himself to meet the speeder's eyes as he saw the confusion and happiness that had filled them just seconds before turn into a dark, bitter acceptance.

"I'm so sorry for reacting like that. I just- It's been so long since you, I mean he-" Flash cut himself off, eyes widening further as he looked back at Clark. "Wait. You said we."

"I- yes. We came together," Clark explained. "I'm not this world's Superman either."

Barry blinked and then nodded. He bit his lip when he looked in Bruce's direction before turning to Clark, making no attempts to clean the tears from his face.

"And where's my Supey? I mean, this world's Superman."

"He is in one of the holding cells in the back," Bruce replied simply.

Flash took another step back, eyeing them warily. Bruce approved of the reaction, even if it was a late one. He should have taken his distance the moment he realized they weren't his teammates, but Barry had always been too trusting and nice for his own good.

"I want to see him," He demanded.

Bruce gave a sharp nod. He moved back to the computer, fingers flying across the keyboard until the image of a surveillance camera showed the cell where Superman was being held. He was still unconscious, but the high quality of the equipment showed a clear image of him, letting them see the rise and fall of his chest with every breath he took.

"You two got into a fight?" Barry asked after a moment, watching the image of Superman on the screen before looking back at Clark.

Clark looked down at his dirty, torn suit. "We did. That's why we had to put him in there."

From where he stood Bruce watched the speeder's reaction carefully. He didn't think Barry would react anything like Superman had, but it was better to be cautious just in case.

"What did he do?"

The Kryptonian exchanged a look with Bruce. "He kept insisting Bruce had to stay here with him and attacked us when we tried to leave."

Flash didn't rush to defend his ex-teammate, or at least question further what happened. There was only silence.

"He took it really hard, you know? I mean, we all took it pretty bad, but he-" Barry bit his lip, eyes flickering away. "He wasn't the same after Bats was gone."

"That's why the League fell apart." It wasn't a question.

"I, uh, yeah, I guess so. Supes kinda disappeared after what happened, but the rest of us tried to make it work for a while. Diana and J'ohn worked really hard to keep things going, but there was tension and other stuff and it just- It didn't work the way it was supposed to.

"Most of us are still around, though. We're still in touch and help each other out when we can." Barry managed a small smile. "It isn't as good as it was before, but we're still fighting the good fight."

"And Superman?" Clark asked, dreading the answer. Could he really have abandoned Earth's people to their own fate? He understood his grief -as much as he could without feeling it himself, thank Rao- but he wished his love for Earth and its people had been enough to keep him going.

If this world's Bruce was anything like his own, he was sure he would have wanted Superman to keep helping people and protecting Earth, and Superman should have known that.

"He mostly just stays in Metropolis and Gotham, but when there's something big, Supes always shows up to help out too."

Clark was taken by surprise by the mention of Gotham, but it made sense that Superman would take it upon himself to protect the city as some kind of penance or maybe as a tribute to Batman.

"I- don't think he ever got over Batman's death. Not that any of us did, really," Barry added, looking in Bruce's direction. "But we still moved on as best as we could. He blames himself for what happened. He blames all of us, I think. That's probably why he didn't go back to the League and tried to cut contact with all of us.

"Diana tried to reach out to him, but he didn't let her." Barry swallowed. "They had a big fight when we went to the Fortress and forced him to let us take the body."

Bruce flickered his eyes in Clark's direction, noticing the stricken expression on his pale face. It was clear he was having troubles dealing with all of this, and hearing details about Superman's erratic behavior was making things worse.

The billionaire turned back to the other man as the speeder watched him out of the corner of his eye. "What happened after Batman's identity was discovered?"

If the Flash was surprised by the question, he didn't show it. Clark, on the other hand, made his shock obvious in the way his head snapped in his direction, turquoise eyes wide.

"It was pretty crazy for a while. A long while," Barry admitted after a moment of silence. "Dick was sure they wouldn't be able to involve them directly in the crime fighting-thing, but they still could be considered accomplices or be accused of covering thing up. Besides, Batman made a lot of enemies so it wasn't entirely safe for them to stay here. They said you- he had a contingency plan in case that happened, so they disappeared shortly after.

"I know they're doing okay because Dick sends me messages sometimes. We're really careful, I swear!" He added.

Bruce nodded, grateful Barry understood what he was asking exactly and addressing that. They may not be his family, but he was relieved to know they were fine. Or as fine as they could be under the circumstances. There was something else, though.

"And the Manor?"

"He- Superman, I mean. He must have made some kind of deal with the government or something. I'm not sure what it was, but they let him keep it. He, uh, _claimed_ it publicly and made sure everyone knew they would have to deal with him if anyone tried to break in or something. He lives here, I think."

It wasn't surprising, not really, though Bruce had to wonder how Superman managed that. What he gave them in return because he had to have given them _something._

"So, uh. You know how to get back home?" Barry asked, breaking the awkward silence.

"Not really," Clark admitted, relieved to go back to a safe topic. "We didn't get a chance to start looking until now."

"I can help. Maybe. I know some stuff about dimension travel and that kind of thing, so I will be happy to help in any way I can."

Bruce gave the speeder a curt nod before moving to sit back on the chair before the monitors.

"Thanks, Barry," Clark offered with a small, genuine smile.

"It's cool. That's what friends are for." The speeder paused. "I mean, we're kind of friends, right?"

"Of course," He agreed, putting a hand on the Flash's shoulder and squeezing lightly. It was a relief to see it didn’t matter how bad things were, some things still hadn’t changed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, as you can guess, Barry wasn't supposed to make an appearance here. Everything he talked about was meant to be only mentioned once Bruce and Clark were back home, but then this happened. I liked the way it came out, even if I'm sure some of you may wish I had just finished this already instead of coming up with more chapters. I kind of wish that too. A little.
> 
> Seriously, I have absolutely no idea why it's been so hard for me to work on this story. None at all. But I swear I'm committed to finish this, and it looks like that's going to happen soon. *crosses fingers*


	5. Rescue

They had been working together for a few hours now and still didn't have anything to show for it, much to Bruce's growing annoyance.

This would be so much easier if the Watchtower were still operating, but that was obviously not the case and while the cave systems were almost as good, things weren't moving as fast as he would have liked. It was clear Superman hadn't bothered to keep the systems upgraded, so Bruce was wasting time doing just that.

The computer worked just fine now, but if he wanted the system to run at its full capacity, he needed to make some major upgrades and that was going to take even longer.

Bruce rubbed a hand over his forehead, willing the pounding in his head to go away as he reached for the coffee Barry brought a few minutes ago and took a sip.

He sent the speeder to Metropolis with one of his many devices to search for any lingering traces of energy in the exact place where they appeared, but Bruce wasn't surprised when that turned up nothing. Too much time had passed since their arrival and they lost precious time dealing with Superman.

While the Flash was gone, he convinced Clark to bring a couple of portable sun lamps to the computer station, so at least he was recharging now while they were working. With the slow progress they were making here Bruce was thinking about flying to the Fortress and it would be good if Clark had his powers fully back by then.

Clark was looking over some documents Bruce handed him, but he found his gaze drifting now and then to one of the monitors to the side, showing footage of the holding cell where Superman was being held. His double woke up a while ago, clearly disoriented and still feeling the effects of the Kryptonite. He had looked straight at the camera only for a moment and hadn't moved ever since.

The red sun lamps installed in the cell made it impossible for Superman to escape, but even knowing that didn't stop Clark from keeping an eye on him.

A few more minutes passed in silence before he felt the light, familiar probing around his brain that came every time J'ohn used his telepathic link. A look in Bruce's direction as the Martian's smooth voice resounded in his brain told him he was hearing it as well.

And so they didn't have to find their own way back home. The rest of the League was already here to help them get back home.

Clark willingly let Bruce take care of the communication while he closed his eyes, sending a silent thanks to whoever deserved it. He had no doubt they would have found a way to return by themselves if they had to, but it would have taken time and he just wanted to get out of here.

It was too much, all of it. The death of this world's Batman, the disappearance of the League, Superman's behavior and his words. He still could hear his double's warnings echoing in his head. The words filled with a grief and pain so deep and raw that he could almost feel it as his own.

"What's up?" The speeder asked.

He wasn't sure what clued Barry in on the fact that something was happening, but he was grateful for the distraction. "J'ohn just contacted us."

"Your J'ohn or ..."

"Our J'ohn," He confirmed. "The League found a way to manipulate whatever technology was used to bring us here and they're in this universe now."

"Oh. That's good." Barry said, his body relaxing. "Are they coming here?"

"No," Bruce replied before Clark could, his gaze still fixed on the monitor before him. "We'll go to Metropolis to meet with them."

Barry frowned. "But you- Right. Got it."

Clark couldn't help but smile at the shift in the speeder's expression as the realization hit him. The rest of the League didn't know Batman's identity yet so, naturally, he didn't want them in the cave under his mansion. Or what had been his double's mansion.

Bruce tuned out the rest of the conversation as his fingers flew across the keyboard, canceling the upgrades that were still in progress and finishing with the rest. The computer would most likely not be used again (if the state he found it in was any indication) but he wasn't going to simply erase hours of work. He took care of a few more things before turning off all the monitors and getting to his feet.

Clark stood as soon as Bruce did, and Flash followed suit a second later, both of them watching Bruce.

"There's something I need to do before we go." He announced, pulling the cowl over his head in one quick, practiced motion.

The Kryptonian didn't need further explanation to understand what that meant. "Are you sure that's wise?"

He gave him only a curt nod and turned to walk away from the computer platform without waiting for a reply, leaving Superman and Flash looking after him.

Clark stood where he was, following the familiar cape and cowl with his eyes until Bruce was fully out of sight, disappearing among the shadows.

Bruce didn't stop until he was just a couple of steps away from the holding cell, staying out of sight. He hesitated a moment before taking off the cowl, placing it on the floor and then walking on silent feet to move away from the shadows and close to the holding cell.

Superman was on the far side of the cell, back resting against the rock wall as he sat on the floor, elbows resting on his knees and head cradled between his hands as the red glow of the sun lamps covered him.

He watched him, waiting patiently for the Kryptonian to notice his presence. It didn't take long for Superman to lift his head, hard and calculating eyes studying him.

"You're leaving," He said after a moment of silent observation.

"I am."

Superman didn't move from where he was sitting, but his hands curled into fists. "You will die."

"Everybody does," Bruce countered.

"They will kill you."

"It's possible," He agreed, because it was the truth and he had accepted the possibility a long time ago. "But I'll rate die fighting to defend what I believe in, what I _love_ instead of living a meaningless, miserable life ignoring everything but my own needs."

Superman rose to his feet and walked as close as the cell bars allowed him. His eyes were clear and bright as they met Bruce's. "You don't have to be miserable without Batman. You can have a happy life here with me. I will be always by your side. Always."

"I can't sta-"

"You can!" Superman interrupted, his expression almost desperate as his hands grasp the cell bars tightly. "And you wouldn't have to worry about Gotham because I will protect it."

Bruce had to look away from the turquoise eyes looking at him like- looking at him like something he was not. His gauntlets creaked softly as he clenched his hands.

Now that there was nothing to fight about and he didn't have to focus on coming up with a plan, he couldn't keep ignoring the pain etched in the all-too-familiar features. It made it harder to say what he was to say, but he didn't have a choice.

"I can't stay and I think you understand that, even if you don't want to accept it." And just like that, any glimpse of vulnerability was gone, and the rage of before was back.

"Then get out of here!" The Kryptonian snarled, his hands clenched even tighter around the cell bars. "Go back to risk your life for nothing! I don't care!"

Bruce didn't even flinch at the outburst, keeping his gaze firm on Superman as he stood there for a moment longer. Finally, he nodded curtly and turned to walk back to where Clark was waiting for him. He took just a couple of steps before pausing. He could still feel the other's gaze on his back.

"It wasn't your fault," He told him, turning back to look at him. "His death."

It was one last attempt to reach out to Superman. To help him.

"You don't know that. You weren't -" Superman swallowed hard, dropping his gaze. "I should have protected him, or die trying."

"It wasn't your responsibility to keep him safe. Batman knew the risks involved in what he was doing and he was willing to fight anyway because he believed it was the right thing to do. Because he needed to do _something."_

Superman shook his head. "He shouldn't have been there that day. He should have never joined the League."

Bruce refrained from disputing that. It was clear that no amount of logical arguments were going to make Superman change his mind about that. But there was something else he could say now that the Kryptonian seemed to be listening.

"You should stop punishing yourself for his death," He said gently. "I may not be him, but I think we're similar enough that you should listen when I tell you that's not what he would have wanted for you."

The Kryptonian bowed his head, hands still clenched around the cell bars.

"You lost someone very close to you, someone you loved, but you are not alone. You aren't," Bruce stressed when he saw him open his mouth to speak. "You have many friends who love you. You just need to stop pushing them away."

Superman remained silent, still not looking at him.

Words had never been his strong suit, so Bruce struggled to find something else to say. He knew he couldn't fix this, but he had to _try_ to make it better.

"And if your Bruce could be here in my place, he would tell you he forgives you. Not because there's anything to forget, but because you need to hear it." Bruce closed the distance between them again, hesitating a moment before taking off his gauntlet and sliding his bare hand through the cell bars.

"I forgive you."

He saw the moment a lone tear escaped from Superman's pained eyes. Saw him raise a shaking hand and reach to grab his own. The touch was gentle, almost hesitant, but once Superman realized it was real he grasped his hand in a tight grip.

Bruce stayed there while Superman broke down in front of him, still clutching his hand. He wished he could open the door and let him out, but since that wasn't an option he settled for offering him as much comfort as he able to.

The minutes kept ticking and Bruce still wasn't back.

The temptation to listen in to what was happening back there was huge, but Clark didn't even try. His powers may not be fully back yet, but the distance to the cells was short enough that he would have no problem extending his hearing far enough to eavesdrop. Except he wasn't sure if he wanted to keep listening to his double talk about the death of this universe's Batman and the danger Bruce was in.

Still, Clark couldn't resist listening to his heartbeat. He was still a little anxious about having Bruce out of his sight while they remained in this world, especially now that they were so close to getting out of here.

His eyes drifted back in the direction Bruce had gone, but once again he found only darkness. Barry was quiet at his side, but he could feel the speeder's eyes on him now and then.

He wanted to get out of here, that was true, but that wasn't the only reason Clark was impatient for Bruce's return. If he was honest with himself, he just didn't like the idea of Bruce being alone with this Superman. The way his double looked at him was just- It wasn't right.

Clark wondered if he should see Superman before leaving too. He felt like maybe he should, even if he had no idea of what to say to him. The only thing he could think of was 'I'm sorry', and he knew that wasn't good enough. It was probably the worst thing he could say. Besides, he doubted his double would even want to see him after their fight, and he wasn't exactly looking forward to it either.

He only hoped Bruce had done the right thing going to see him.

Clark practically jumped to his feet as soon as he saw the dark shadow appear at the far end of the cave and was at Bruce's side just a second later. The lenses of the cowl were up hiding his eyes so Clark tried to determine how things had gone by studying the small part of his face that was uncovered. That was no help at all, of course.

"Everything okay?"

Bruce grunted in reply, only looking at him for a second before turning to Barry, who had followed Clark.

"I programmed Superman's cell to open automatically in approximately twenty-five minutes. That should give us more than enough time to go meet with the League and transport back to our world."

"Okay," Barry said. "I think- I think I will stay here. Keep an eye on the big guy."

He was pleased- maybe even relieved to know Superman wasn't going to be alone after this, but Bruce offered only a nod before turning to Clark. "We should go now."

"Can I hug you again?" Barry blunted out, surprising even himself. "I just- You're going to leave now and I will never see you again and I didn't get to say goodbye to Bats and I miss him and he-"

Bruce inclined his head in silent concession and that was all the permission Barry needed to cut short his rambling and launch himself at him, the force of the impact eliciting a soft grunt from the dark-clad man, followed by a murmured apology from the speeder.

Clark had to look away when he saw the tears running down Barry's face as Bruce awkwardly return the hug after a moment of stillness.

"Bye, Bats."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I had to add another hug, and a heart to heart as well ;) And I'm sorry for not uploading sooner, but I had some issues to deal with. Anyway, I hope you liked it.
> 
> Just one more chapter to go, which I hope will be posted soon-ish.


End file.
